Workers' Compensation for Nursing and Healthcare Workers in Greenville

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers have a higher injury rate than workers in the construction and manufacturing industries combined. The hazardous nature of healthcare professions became even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when many workers became infected while caring for patients with the virus. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney could help you get compensation for the expenses incurred by your injuries.

When you are a healthcare worker who became injured or ill due to a job-related activity, you need to learn what rights you may have to benefits for workers’ compensation for nursing and healthcare workers in Greenville and the steps you should take after a work injury.

What Are Some of the Most Common Work-Related Injuries for Healthcare Workers?

Healthcare workers are exposed to a variety of job-related hazards on a daily basis. Injuries caused by overextension, overexertion, and repetitive movements are rather common. Back and neck injuries also occur frequently, especially for those healthcare professionals who often need to move heavy patients and help them with daily activities such as bathing and dressing.

Some healthcare professionals may deal with patients who are uncooperative and even aggressive due to dementia, mental illness, or, in some cases, intoxication with drugs or alcohol. Patients may kick, punch or try to hurt the healthcare worker caring for them, further exposing them to risks of severe injury. In addition, nurses, doctors, and other workers may be exposed to needles and suffer the risk of needle wounds (which could potentially lead to infectious diseases). In many cases, workers have to provide care to patients while dealing with understaffing, which puts even more physical and emotional stress on them.

Are Nurses and Other Healthcare Workers Covered By Workers’ Comp?

Any employer with four or more employees is required to provide workers’ compensation insurance to their employees. Healthcare workers are covered by workers’ compensation as long as they are employed by the healthcare facility they are working for (rather than being independent contractors).

In order to secure workers’ comp benefits, the injured healthcare worker must demonstrate that their condition resulted from a job-related activity and not from a separate, unrelated event. That also includes any diseases or illnesses the healthcare worker may have developed in the course of employment. Healthcare workers can receive payment for the full cost of their medical treatment, partial wage replacement for missed work days, and disability benefits if their injury resulted in a total or partial disability. If a nursing or healthcare worker in Greenville dies as a result of a job-related injury or illness, their surviving relatives may receive death benefits under workers’ compensation insurance.

Can a Healthcare Worker Receive Workers’ Comp for COVID-19?

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission has received a large volume of cases involving workers who were exposed to COVID-19 at work and became infected. While some state legislators have attempted to get a bill approved that would enable first responders to automatically receive workers’ comp coverage for COVID-19, South Carolina still requires healthcare workers to prove that they became infected with the virus as a result of their job activities.

Because workers’ comp legislation was not written with the goal of accommodating the extraordinary circumstances brought on by a worldwide pandemic, filing a workers’ comp claim for COVID-19 may pose a challenge to many healthcare workers. For that reason, nursing and healthcare workers in Greenville should consider hire a workers’ compensation lawyer to help with the claim process and to ensure better chances of securing maximum benefits.

Contact an Attorney to Pursue a Worker’s Compensation Claim for Nursing and Healthcare Workers in Greenville

If you are a healthcare worker injured on the job, contacting a workers’ comp lawyer right away is a smart move. Even if you do not anticipate any problems receiving your benefits, having a knowledgeable legal ally with experience in workers’ compensation for nursing and healthcare workers in Greenville  is key to ensuring you are being paid correctly and that you are not giving up any of your rights. The Eller Frye Law Firm is dedicated to helping injured healthcare workers navigate the workers’ comp system and get the benefits they deserve. Reach out to our office at 864-727-7236.